"Damn it." Menno Kuho looked at the valley ahead through a telescope, "This place is perfect for an ambush."

The Nilfgaardian Army Marshal looked disheveled, his armor was torn and stained with blood, and his once beautifully maintained mustache was now uneven.

Marshal Menno was no longer concerned about his appearance. His mind was filled with the look Lannister gave him after he had killed all of his guards.

But after calming his damaged military pride, the battle-hardened Marshal Menno decisively discovered something wrong with Lannister's actions.

It's not that he's arrogant, but from a tactical point of view, the Marshal's importance is definitely greater than the sum of the three warlock troops. But the team brought by Lannister only killed those warlocks, made a big fuss, and then left.

Lannister himself even walked around himself, as if he was stating a fact: I am not going to kill you, I am keeping you for a purpose; with your knowledge you can definitely guess why I am keeping you, but you can't do anything to me.

Marshal Menno could certainly tell the difference between sacrificing himself and not sacrificing himself.

He was very angry at first, angry that Lannister was so sure that he could defeat him; then he became depressed because he really had to follow Lannister's script.

The Third Legion and the Fourth Cavalry Regiment are the elite troops of Nilfgaard. Even if they are defeated on the front line, the marshal must bring the remaining remnants back to Nilfgaard. This is his responsibility and obligation as a marshal.

Even though he knew that dying on the front line would probably be better for his reputation.

So after the defeat of Lyria, Marshal Menno immediately used his personal prestige to gather as many remaining troops as possible, and Nilfgaard's strict military discipline also ensured that the defeated army would move closer to the marshal.

Almost none of their troops were scattered among the people of the North, and they retreated all the way with amazing cohesion.

From Leiria, to Livia, through the Anglin region, through Upper Soden, and finally to Sintra.

"Marshal." Captain Sivers wiped the sweat from his forehead. "The Manada Valley is ahead. If we cross it, we will be able to leave Cintra and join our troops stationed outside."

This seemed to be good news, but Captain Sievers's face was sweating even more. Not only him, but also the other officers surrounding Marshal Menno were sweating.

Because as the marshal said: this valley is perfect for an ambush.

From the moment they entered Cintra, the Nilfgaardians realized that Cintra, which had defeated the Western Army Group, had already strengthened its border defenses.

This prevented Marshal Menno from making any progress and he could only retreat along the border of Cintra.

Now they have reached the Manada Valley, which is the retreat route planned by the Cintra people for the Nilfgaardians, but they have no choice but to take this route.

There is a reason why Cintra is called the "Gateway to the North". This is the only way to leave the North, and the Nilfgaardians have to bite the bullet and move forward.

If the people of Cintra have any plans for their remaining army, this is their last chance.

If it were a normal situation, whether out of consideration for the number of people in Cintra or out of confidence in the marching speed of his horses, Menno could barely believe that there was no ambush here.

But now that he has fought with the Lannisters so many times, he actually developed a strange "trust" in the Lion of the North - that guy will definitely not let go of this opportunity.

"Marshal." It was still Captain Sivers, "Please change into my equipment and mount."

Menno's gloomy face suddenly froze, and he looked back at the young man in disbelief.

Captain Sivers said solemnly: "Please do not object, Your Excellency Marshal. Your life and abilities are too valuable to the Empire. No one can replace you."

"My cavalry brigade is still intact. If you are ambushed, they will protect you. I will lead the remaining troops to fight the enemy and give you a chance to break out."

Menno looked at the young man in silence: "I remember you, you are just the captain of the 7th Delany Brigade."

This is not contempt, the implication is that this is not your responsibility.

"Yes." Sivers pounded his chest. "The 7th Brigade was the first to arrive at the Eastern Front, but we encountered the Lannisters and suffered a defeat. My chief officer was killed."

"So you deployed us to the flanks in the subsequent decisive battle, which kept the organization relatively intact," said the young officer. "And the officers who took over kept dying, so now I am the commander of the Seventh Brigade."

Menno was silent again. “Your decision will cost you your life.”

Sievers saluted: "It's my pleasure."

"Captain Sivers."

"Your Excellency the Marshal?"

"…Good luck, kid."

"Same to you, Marshal."

…

“Here they come.”

On the hillside, Easter took a deep breath.

"Raise our flag!"

The blue and red dragon head flag flutters in the wind. This is the family emblem of the Tursek family.

Then came the red and black shield of the Clet family, the antler pointed shield of the Dimen family, and the flaming iron hammer of the Todaloch family...

The seven great families of Skellige came out in full force.

In the center of the flags of the seven major families, there is a largest red sea warship flag representing the archipelago.

From Leiria to the border of Cintra, in addition to the war horses that worked day and night, only the islanders who went down the Yaruga River could rush over in advance to arrange the battlefield. These brave sea warriors could immediately transform into the most powerful hunters in the mountains when they came ashore, waiting for their prey.

An emerald light suddenly lit up on Easter's body, and his guards looked on in unsurprised confusion as a figure formed beside the king.

They looked at Lord Lannister with respect second only to that which they gave to the king.

After arriving at the scene, Lane and East looked at each other, and in tacit understanding, they didn't say much. They just clapped their left hands on the ground, and more spots of light appeared around them one after another.

【Teleport】

Figures wearing armor, figures holding staffs, figures carrying double swords, monsters covered with rocks, giant beasts with wings, giants as big as mountains...

Easter took another deep breath. He had waited too long.

Manada Valley, it was here that he and Calanthe encountered the ambush of Nilfgaard.

Then he lost Calanthe and the baby in her belly.

Nilfgaardians...

"Blow the horn!"

"attack!"

“Woo——”

…

The dull sound of the horn made the Nilfgaardians, like frightened birds, panic in an instant. Even though they were prepared, their horses collided with each other in a hurry and the knights were almost thrown off their horses.

"Boom!" the druid chanted a spell, and the mountain walls around the canyon began to rise and fall as if they came alive. Rocks rolled down from both sides, killing and wounding half of the black-clad soldiers before they engaged in close combat.

This was an even heavier blow to morale.

The next second, it was pitch black above the heads of the Nilfgaardians. Looking up, they saw two giant dragons sticking out their necks with flames brewing in their throats. An ice giant had a steel stick in his hand and fearlessly jumped down from a great height as if a mountain was falling on his head.

"Renalug!" Easter drew out his dark golden sword and uttered the battle cry of the Skellige people.

The chiefs and islanders behind him followed him in roaring a war cry.

"Rena Lug!!"

"Roar!" Several guards near Easter roared loudly, their bodies suddenly grew taller and grew hair, turning into giant bears. They were the berserkers who were recruited after being rescued together!

Seven thousand Skelligers came rushing down, launching a veritable avalanche against the Nilfgaardians.

…

Lan En appeared first under the largest and most eye-catching flag with a flash of golden light. He did not look around. This time he did not need to worry too much.

[Alder Seal·Alder Sweep·Magic Burst]!

With a "whoosh", all the remaining officers of Nilfgaard's expedition were torn into frozen pieces.

The remaining cavalry around no longer had any intention of becoming enemies with Lann. They would rather escape from the giant's iron stick than draw their swords in front of the Lion of Cintra.

The last of the Black Army's strength collapsed.

Lann frowned suddenly.

Just now when he landed, he took a quick glance and found that Marshal Menno under the flag seemed to have become younger - no, that was not Marshal Menno at all.

After thinking about it for a while, Lann figured out the problem in an instant. He sighed twice, one for Nilfgaard's existence and the other for the regret that this young life was sacrificed in vain.

He looked towards the distance as if he had sensed something. There was a cavalry unit there. They had discovered the breakthrough point of the Skelligers and were rushing madly in that direction.

Their formation is well-organized and their march is orderly. They can be said to be the most orderly force among the remnant army.

…

Marshal Menno leaned over the horse and hugged its neck tightly. The raid went smoothly at first.

They bypassed three boulders that seemed to have self-awareness and stayed far away from the aftermath of the dragon's fire. If it weren't for the shouts and screams around them, they would almost think they were fighting against a natural disaster.

The number of guards around them was decreasing, but after using the remaining impact of the heavy cavalry to punch through the islanders in front of them, they finally got out of the canyon. After bypassing a huge rock in front, there was an endless plain behind them.

Someone in the team shouted triumphantly, but he was too happy too soon.

The solid ground beneath his feet suddenly turned into a pit, and the marshal flew over the top of his horse and crashed into the mountain wall.

All around him, horses and people screamed.

Amid the noise, Menno suddenly heard a completely different sound, the sound that symbolized death.

"Whoosh", "whoosh", "whoosh"

A warrior with a bear-like figure led a lightly equipped team out from the edge of the canyon. Beside him were several warriors dressed like him and carrying double swords.

A black-haired warlock and a red-haired warlock muttered something, and a team of archers protected them and, led by a female archer, rained arrows on them.

This is the sea guerrillas led by the bear-faction witcher Gerd!

The warriors arrived with the Skellige warships, while the witchers, sorcerers, and other members of the lion group came here after fighting in Lyria and continued to kill the enemy.

When it comes to ambush troops, quality is more important than quantity.

Marshal Menno saw the only witcher who did not carry a sword open his hands, and then flames and cold wind poured out from the witcher's palms at the same time.

The Marshal felt that this demon hunter might be even more powerful than Lannister.

He stumbled to his feet and looked for a good horse, but before he had run a few steps, someone next to him fell face down in the dust with an arrow in his back.

At the same time, the marshal felt a heavy blow on his head. His body staggered and he fell off the horse. He wanted to scream, but he could only make a hoarse dry howl.

At this moment, a horse that was struggling on the ground kicked the marshal's helmet, broke the iron plate, cut his cheek, broke his teeth, and scratched his tongue.

Again he heard the sound of bowstrings, the whistling of arrows, the thunderous sound of arrow tips piercing armor, shouts, the neighing of horses, and the splash of blood.

The marshal turned around and saw a group of people coming towards him. Leading the group was a knight carrying a lion-headed steel sword, and beside him was a giant bear with astonishing shoulder height.

The adjutant who rushed out with the marshal gritted his teeth, turned around suddenly and shouted "surrender". He stepped on the marshal who had not yet climbed up, blocked him behind him, and begged for mercy in a high-pitched and sharp voice, saying that he was willing to pay the war ransom.

The lieutenant then grasped the blade of his sword and handed the hilt to the Cintrian - this was a common way of surrender on the continent.

But as the Cintrian approached, the lieutenant suddenly lunged forward, grasping the blade with the steel guard and swinging the sword around like a stick, while he also tried to pull out the dagger at his waist as a secondary weapon.

Immediately afterwards, a lion-headed sword pierced through his chest at lightning speed.

House drew out the lion-headed sword coldly. He was not disturbed by the opponent's surrender from the beginning.

"As for Nilfgaard, the people of Cintra never accept prisoners." House watched the light in the adjutant's eyes gradually go out, and saw the other party staggering backwards, and then tripped by a corpse-like thing behind him, and naturally covered it.

House snorted, seeing through the opponent's trick. He strode forward and kicked the opponent away, revealing Marshal Menno who was pinned down and pretending to be dead.

"Ha, judging from his attire, he's a commander." House raised his sword.

Marshal Menno pulled off his helmet and tried to say something, but several of his teeth fell out and his tongue was cut.

"I am Men...no...Quhoun..." He stuttered, spitting out blood from time to time, "...Quhoun...Marshal..."

The blade dug into his collarbone, and he vomited more blood.

"Did you hear what he just said?" House drew his sword and suddenly asked the giant bear beside him.

Bill slowly returned to human form from his berserker form: "Who cares? To hell with the Nilfgaardians and their nonsense... Wait, do you see this cape?"

House took a look and said, "Silver Scorpions! They are from the Seventh Brigade of the Fourth Cavalry Regiment? Did Yarpan have his head broken by them before?"

Bill shrugged. "That seems to be another troop... But who cares? Cut off his head and wrap it in this cloak. Then we can go back to visit Yarpan empty-handed, right? If Yarpan doesn't want us, we can take it back in exchange for military merits. Although our rank is only captain, we are still a commander. It seems that you are not even a knight now?"

"That makes sense - but I just want to be the Duke's bodyguard. It doesn't matter if I'm a knight or not."

"Whatever. Let's finish it quickly. Some Nilfgaardians might break out soon."

Menno twitched twice, and blood poured into his lungs.